Unknown
by Sarah'sTwilight
Summary: This is the prequel to Unresolved, how a young female wood elf is found in the cell for an unknown crime when the emperor changes her life yet again. Understanding who she will now become this is the start for her.  Please read and comment so I can improv


Huddled into the corner, she had no idea why she had been brought to the prison much less knew if it was a simple mistake. Yet she had been here in the squalor and filth for 3 weeks with no one for company save for an annoying man across the corridor shouting lewd comments about her, what she was and how she was going to die with no one to morn her. Pulling her knees closer to herself she kept thinking of home and how she would go back, yet the likelihood of that now ever happening was getting slimmer by the day, and so she resigned herself to the fact that she was in all probability going to die alone, not knowing what she had truly done.

Night was slowly creeping across the sky, feeling the moon light touch her skin she got up from her cramped flee infested cot and made her way to a small slit of a window to feel the moon light and the faint breeze upon her face. Smiling to herself she slowly chanted a lullaby to herself reminiscent to those she knew as a child, those of glory, valour, honour and love. Although it brought her some small comfort it did nothing to alleviate her desire to leave the prison cell.

Moving away from the window she made her way to her cot, while picking up her meagre fill of gruel and ale. Eating it as quickly as possible so as to not taste the bile rising up her throat in protest against what she was feeding herself, she distantly her clamouring and hushed arguments coming from the other end of the prison. Straining her ears she caught a few words that made absolutely no sense, since she was hearing it out of all contexts.

i"Your majesty…we don't know that…..it is quite possible….as you wish Sire"i/

Sitting bolt upright, this was it she was finally going to meet her end and the emperor himself was personally coming to make sure that it would be carried out. Looking around her cell she found that there was no actual hiding places to be found, she could try to hide herself in the shadows but that would only last for so long.

"Oh lookie here they're coming for you, your about to die ha ha ha ha, well it was nice seeing you let's hope it's not a long drawn out death."

"Oh shut up you insignificant little faggot and piss off, I will not die here or anywhere else for that matter. So go hang yourself you fucked up bastard"

Sneering the man turned his back upon the young elf, while she was frantically searching the room for anywhere to hide from the soldiers. As she was searching the room, the gate to her cell opened with a clang and the guards pressed in around her. Turning slowly she saw them staring at her with shock and uncertainty, yet an elder man pushed through always holding her gaze. Looking her up and down whether assessing or just being curious she could not tell

"You I have seen you before in my dreams, if I have seen you then the stars were right this is the day" Sighing "Gods give me strength"

Looking back at him, she was made all the more confused, taking a deep breath she looked the emperor in the eyes

"Please, I don't know what is going on here, I have been here for three weeks now with no information as to why I was brought here or what it was that I had done. Please I don't want to die here I want to go home"

Looking from to each of his guards, contemplating what to actually tell her

"You were brought here due to my dreams; I have seen you always there. I had hoped that the longer it took my guards the blades the longer I had to live, alas that is not to be the case as you are here and I am here so therefore I will die."

Flabbergasted she sank down onto her cot, did this mean that she was going to kill the emperor, was she unwittingly a party to his death. She vaguely her him continuing to talk but in truth she was not actually hearing him. She heard him mention his son's death, everyone knew about that but none knew who was behind the crime and about traveling down our own paths. Looking up she saw them all leaving her cell, saw how agitated the female guard was becoming seeing the commotion and the stone blocks moving back this could be her only chance to leave the cell

"The best thing you can do is to not get any funny ideas, if you follow we won't be held responsible for what happens down there, you may not have committed any crime but that won't stop us if you get in our way."

All to soon the emperor and his guards were leaving the way open for her, looking back at the man in the opposite cell

"Looks like I will be able to leave after all and I will be able to run around free in the woods, whereas you won't"

Sticking two fingers up at him she raced down the passageway with the man hurling abuse at her, it did not matter, she would be free to live another day in peace. Following at a distance behind the guards she felt her way down the passageways, felling traces of slime crumbling rocks and mortar. The darkness was oppressive and eerie to walk through, but it also helped to heighten her hearing allowing her to build up a better picture concerning what was truly going on. Moving into a large room, they were all too soon surrounded by several men garbed in red robes and covered also head to toe in sharp jagged armour. Seeing the blood spraying from several people, she spied the emperor in trouble, jumping down from her spot, she rushed headlong to him and dragged him back to the wall, using her body as his shield. She felt the slice and sting of the swords biting into her flesh then the pressure and the ferocity of the sword seemed to disappear. Shaking with adrenaline she felt the emperor place a comforting hand upon her arm

"Thank you dear one, though there was no need for that"

"They could have killed you I couldn't let that happen even if by seeing me I bring about your death, until then I will do all I can to stop that from happening."

Looking up she saw him smiling slightly down at her shaking his head slightly. Moving away quickly, realising the close proximity between herself and the emperor behind her a redguard was standing impassive holding the sword of a fallen woman. A slient exchange seemed to pass between the two, and then he held out the sword to her

"If you are to be following us for a short while you may as well have something to defend yourself with rather than getting hacked to death" with that the guard turned and left to reorganize the guards again. Pushing past her the emperor, Septimus, paused to say a few words to the guard, turning slightly he nodded and they started to move forward. Looking down at the sword gleaming, she now felt a sense of duty and purpose the same as the guards, to protect him with their lives.

In silence they all moved forward for a while keeping their swords unsheathed while always watching for shadows to attack. After a while they came upon a large cavern branching in two different areas one barred by a large gate while the other split off to who knew where, one of the guards moved forward to the gate and produced a key to open the gate in front. They all started to move forward when the same guard barred the way forward

"Don't follow us elf, we allowed you to come so far but I don't trust you we don't know if you did something in the past so I won't allow you near the emperor"

Looking at the barred way, she stalked away from the redguard and ducked into the darkened cavern. Traversing through the labyrinth of tunnels encountering numerous giant rats, goblins and zombies, holding her nerve she managed to shoot from the worn bow to keep them at bay and then in their weakened state cleaved them in two. Covered in blood she found a small enclave with some abandoned food. Collapsing onto them huger overrode her rational senses concerning poisoning. Being in her cell for so long, she had craved the taste for an apple or a carrot. Eating her fill she then stuffed her pockets with what remained of the food. Gaining her bearing she carried on in what she hoped was the way out of the caves.

Seeing a faint light growing in the distance she rushed towards it heedless of the dangers that could catch her unawares, finding her upon a wall ledge she spied Septimus with a smaller force protecting her, whatever she had encountered in the tunnels was nothing compared to what they had experienced. Bloodied, roughly bandaged and missing pieces of armour they looked more like a ragtag mercenary group rather than an elite fighting force of the realm. The emperor looked on the verge of collapsing, looking around she tried to find safe footholes in order to climb safely down. Nearing the bottom she suddenly found her neck touching a sword, slowly pricking into her skin drawing a few drops of blood.

"I told you not to follow and that you are not trusted. What did you not understand?"

Drawing short gasping breaths she twisted her body rather than her head to gain eye contact with her would be captor.

"I did not follow you this was just by chance I swear….please it hurts"

Pushing the sword into her skin a little more he then abruptly pulled it back while nicking her skin just a little deeper. Hauling herself away from the wall she rubbed her hand across her neck, she moved away from the group and knew rather than saw Septimus following her.

"You know that they are fearful of you, what you might do, and that is why eh especially don't want you near me"

"Do you truly think that you are going to die tonight?"

Sighing he moved towards a statue situated into an alcove crumbling into a state almost unrecognisable as to who it was meant to depict.

"Yes I do, this is the end for me but it does not have to truly mean the end of my line. My known children may have been killed but there is one that has been hidden away that can carry on and hold the Oblivion gates."

Moving his hands behind is neck he unclasped his necklace and placed into to her shaking hands

"I am to fall but you have to get it to my son, and the person you need to go to is Jauffrey and Weynons priory, he will know what to do and where he is. You must be the one that continues on your journey, the Gods have foreseen it and I was a fool for not realising it sooner. I may not know your name but it does not matter, farewell dear wood elf."

Before she had even grasped the gravity of his words, and soldier garbed in the same armour and colouring descended upon the aging Emperor and in one fell swoop killed him. Chaos erupted forth and without realising what she was doing used her anger and her fear to kill those spilling forth and around the former Emperors guards. Encountering these solders she used the weight of the blade to hack and stab the assailants, who in turn spilled their life force and covered the small passageway with blood and entrails. Finally after they had all been killed she felt a callused hand upon her shoulder, turning her eyes met the man who had made her life her insufferable

"You heard what the Emperor told you to do; my advice is to do it as soon as possible so we can sort out this mess. I will find out who it was that wanted and succeeded in killing our Emperor and bring that person to justice."

Looking down at the blade in her hand

"You can keep that as well and when you find his hidden son you can bring it to the Blades training grounds where we will place it to honour its former owner. Now go, through this passageway and the sewers you'll come out from the prison and the city. I'm sure we will see each other soon2

Turning her in the direction he had pointed out he pushed her unceremoniously forward and into the gloom. Slowing herself down she turned around towards the Redguard and shouted back down the passageway

"How will I find you if I don't know your name?"

"As I said I shall find you as I can look in our records for your name, but if you must know my name it is Barrus. Now go"

Smiling she nodded her thanks and made her way to the exit of the prison and the sewers. She reached the grill covering and exerting her strength she forced the grill open. After a few moments the grill flew open, scrabbling out she felt the dirt and the grass beneath her fingers. Crying with joy she laid her head upon the grass while the rest of her body remained inside the prison. Looking up she saw the sky and the stars that she had been looking at for so long dreaming to sit underneath them free from the confines of the cell walls. Shuffling her way out she stood up, she was free she could do whatever she now wanted, join the university, fighters guild, become a freelance Alchemist or join the fabled Dark Brotherhood. But could she do it? The memory of Septimus brought it all back, and how much was truly at stake. She wanted to know who had killed the aged Emperor and the only way to do so was to find his hidden son.

Taking a deep breath she strode forward towards the ruined building across the lake, from there she would find those that would help her in her new quest. Home would remain elusive to her right now but in time she would go back. Swallowed by the darkness she started upon her new journey, where it would take her would be the most interesting journey she would be taking.


End file.
